BBC reports on the appointment of Tamil Nadu state’s first transgender police officer:

India’s supreme court recognised transgender people as a third gender last April, five years after the electoral commission added the category to ballot forms.

The ruling meant the government had to provide transgender people with quotas in jobs and education in line with other minorities, as well as key amenities.

There are an estimated two million transgender people in India.

While the Times of India reports that Tamil Nadu police already have three transgender constables on their books, reports in other Indian media said Prithika will become the first officer in the country.

Prithika was born Pradeep Kumar and left her parents’ home before completing a computer studies course and undergoing surgery.

She had wanted to be a police officer since being a child, Indian media said.

The court also ruled that the result of a police physical test, which Prithika failed after being a second late in a 100-metre dash, was not valid.”